It was once associated with crusty old cardigan-wearers insisting ‘it just sounds better’ — but Generation Z’s obsession with snapping up vinyl records and showing them off on TikTok is fuelling Britain’s renewed desire for physical music.
Industry statistics suggest vinyl sales are at their highest level in 33 years after declining in the 1980s and 1990s with the advent of the compact disc – which itself is enjoying a resurgence after losing out to MP3 players and services like Spotify.
More than 250,000 vinyl records were sold last week – the most sales in a seven-day period this century – and 5.9 million were bought throughout 2023, according to trade body BPI.
Stores say younger audiences are responsible for buying the majority of LPs, snapping up releases from the likes of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Lewis Capaldi as well as classics from the likes of Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac.
But experts say the Gen Z push is also driven by a desire to support their favourite artists and to escape ‘streaming fatigue’, overwhelmed by the endlessly perfect curation of music attuned to their tastes that is served up by algorithms.
Vinyl is more popular than ever, with the most LPs shifted in 33 years over the course of 2023
HMV says the majority of turntables bought at Christmas were either purchased by or for Gen Z-ers (pictured: the re-opened HMV on Oxford Street in London)
Music producer Peter Litchfield says Gen Z is suffering from ‘streaming fatigue’, overwhelmed with choice on platforms such as Spotify
Keith Ingram, owner of Scottish record stores Assai Records, says younger buyers are driving the sales of vinyls and turntables
Three of the top 10 vinyl albums sold in the UK this year were by Taylor Swift (pictured)
Olivia Rodrigo’s album Guts was also a big seller. Record store bosses say vinyl sales are being largely driven by Gen Z music fans (pictured: the cover art)
Young adult and teenagers have been taking to TikTok to share their Christmas vinyl ‘hauls’, with many showing off special edition records and album sleeves
Peter Litchfield, a music producer, told : ‘Younger generations are also experiencing streaming fatigue.
‘Like most online media, music consumption is algorithmically driven. It is cultivated for us. Much of the experience is passive.
‘Many are seeking a new, independent experience; something you feel more in control of, something you can take physical ownership of.
‘Showing your appreciation of vinyl on your social media channels is a way to express identity and taste, a way to stand out from the crowd.’
He added there still remains a nostalgia factor for the pops, crackles and warmth that come with playing a vinyl via an analogue needle.
‘Where vinyl is concerned, audiophiles enjoy the analog nature of vinyl, appreciating the imperfections and unique character, and also make a case for its warmer, more authentic sound when compared to digital formats,’ he said.
‘There is this notion that “real music fans listen to vinyl”. In essence, vinyl has become cool again.’
Patrizia Leighton, director at HMV, told the majority of turntable sales bought at Christmas were either purchased by or for Gen Z-ers – adding that other physical formats were also back in vogue.
She said: ‘Vinyl – as well as CD and to an extent cassette – has been strong all year, as the BPI results found.
‘HMV now makes up around 50 per cent of all physical sales in the UK and Christmas trading was strong for us across vinyl in particular. We also saw continued growth in CD and cassette, albeit the latter from a pretty low base.
‘We can be fairly certain that the upward trend will have continued to the end of the year across the industry.
‘We also saw really strong sales of turntables over the festive season with Gen-Z customers buying the bulk of those – or having them bought for them as gifts – which suggests there’s a healthy future for vinyl as new fans go on to build their collections.’
Sales data appears to confirm the theory Gen Z is driving the vinyl boom. BPI says sales have risen for the 16th consecutive year, up 11.7 per cent on 2022, spurred on by modern pop artists such as Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo.
Three of the UK’s best-selling vinyls are Swift releases with albums from Rodrigo, Lewis Capaldi and Lana Del Rey also making the top 10 list.
Other record store owners believe the appeal of the vinyl lies in supporting artists directly, rather than via streaming revenues – and the sense of ownership fans get by buying something they can call their own, beyond a Spotify playlist.
Chris Hawes, founder of second-hand collectors’ website Atlas Records, believes younger listeners are attracted to the idea of collecting vinyls
The best-selling vinyl records of 2023 are a combination of brand new pop albums and iconic classics
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (left) and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (right) were each a top 10 bestselling vinyl in 2023, despite being 46 and 50 years old respectively
Keith Ingram, owner of Scottish independent record stores Assai Records, says the majority of vinyl sales across his stores are driven by younger buyers.
‘The weeks we do really well tend to be when there’s a good pop release: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan. It’s young people buying those albums,’ he said.
‘If you’re a fan of an artist you want to own something, you want to support them.
‘The people we sell turntables to in our Dundee store tend to be younger – and once you’ve got a record player you want records.’
Mr Ingram added the collectability and physical experience of owning and listening to vinyl may also be attractive to Gen Z-ers suffering from so-called ‘streaming fatigue’ — growing tired of having an endless supply of curated music on tap.
The notion of raking through a record shop to discover a new favourite album for themselves, rather than having it served up via an algorithm, is exciting.
‘Finding a record you don’t expect to find is an experience in itself,’ he added. ‘You don’t get that from streaming.’
Physical releases – particularly those with intricate cover art, liner notes or specially coloured discs — are regularly showcased by young adult and teens on TikTok’s vinyl-collecting hashtag, #VinylTok, which has been viewed 1.2 billion times.
The videos usually feature young collectors fawning over the album art, enjoying the physical motion of slipping the disc from the sleeve, and admiring the coloured discs accompanying limited edition releases.
Independent stores often get exclusive releases, particularly on Record Store Day, the annual celebration of music shops which was established at the start of the vinyl resurgence in 2007.
Getting your hands on exclusive pressings, stores say, taps into the desire to stand out from your friends.
Assai’s Mr Ingram added: ‘You’re spending money on subscriptions and there’s so many, isn’t there? But a record? You’ve got that for life.
‘Music is very emotional. That’s the difference – it’s the same with books. There’s a difference between reading a book and using a Kindle.’
Matt Benn, CEO of dance music record label Soundplate, said: ‘With all the music in the world so readily available, vinyl is also a way for fans to separate themselves from casual listeners – it’s a badge of honour for their true fandom.’
Cassette tapes have also been making an unlikely comeback after being killed off by advancements such as compact CD players and later, MP3 players
Interest in cassettes spiked between the releases of the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, which prominently feature a Sony Walkman and cassette tapes (pictured: the artwork of the soundtrack to the first film)
Releases from modern artists are acting as a gateway into vinyl collecting as a hobby – and even younger listeners are tuning into the classics.
Iconic albums from Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac also made 2023’s top 10 vinyl sales chart, suggesting the classics are gathering legions of new fans.
Chris Hawes, founder of second-hand collectors’ shop Atlas Records, said: ‘There’s nothing quite like the listening experience of vinyl – the ritualistic process of choosing a record, placing it on the turntable, and reading the album sleeve notes while you listen.
‘People will always love collecting anything, and records offer a brilliant solution to that desire.
‘Whether you’re a huge fan of a particular artist or want everything from a certain label, there is a journey for anyone and everyone in the act of collecting.
‘If you had asked me four years ago if young people were buying older records we would have said no, but now our second-largest group of buyers is 25-34 year-olds.’
But vinyl is not the only format enjoying a boom — CD sales are steading from a years-long decline, buoyed, the charts would suggest, by older listeners.
The top 10 CD chart includes albums by Take That, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, P!nk, Foo Fighters and Kylie Minogue – acts popular with older millennials and Gen X-ers.
But cassettes are continuing to prove popular, long after their assumed death in the wake of compact CD players and later MP3 players such as the iPod.
Fewer albums were given a mainstream cassette release than on other formats– but those that did make it to tape, and the charts, included records by Olivia Rodrigo, Ed Sheeran, Irish rock band Inhaler and anonymous post-rock band Sleep Token.
But there may be other pop-culture factors at play — including an unlikely superhero ally. Google Trends data suggests interest in cassettes surged at the end of 2016, between the release of the first and second films in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
In the space-hopping saga main character Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt, carries a Sony Walkman loaded with tapes of songs from Earth. Tapes of the films’ soundtracks were among the top five cassette sales of the 2010s in the UK.
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, said: ‘Led by vinyl, the resurgence of physical product underlines the resilience of the UK music market at a time when streaming consumption continues to hit record levels.
‘Whilst LP sales have now been on an upward path for the past 16 years, it is encouraging to see a stabilisation in demand for CD, as well as new generations of music fans falling in love with the cassette.
‘It is giving people more choice than ever in how they enjoy their favourite music.’